In Review: Goodfellow & Co. “Lightweight” Denim

About the Author: Ryan N. is a professional web developer for (and alum from) the University of Delaware, who keeps a close shave as to not be confused with his strongly-bearded twin brother. He plays guitar and drums, loves going to concerts with his wife, and loves being a dad.

A long time ago, if you wanted jeans, you went to a store, found a pair you liked, and bought them. We didn’t have a million different styles, a million different fits, a million different colors.. you just had jeans. Why are you reading this in an old grampy voice? I’m making a point!

And that point is, TARGET SELLS TOO MANY KINDS OF JEANS.

They now sell eight different fits: Straight, Slim Straight, Slim, Skinny, Taper, Athletic, Bootcut, Relaxed. With (I’m not joking), at least 20 different styles under each fit. Why do I mention all of this? Because I want to tell you a story about how I finally got my hands on this pair of jeans.

When I noticed the “lightweight” version of Target’s Goodfellow & Co. jeans in-store, it intrigued me because I have a business-casual workplace where jeans are acceptable wear. But, my dark denim is a bit hotter than I’d like, so enter the “lightweight” contender. The fabric on these is remarkable, barely denim (if it’s “denim” at all – 81% cotton, 19% poly), stretchy, and exceedingly comfortable and light as a feather. Brown contrast stitching adds visual interest, and the color is something that I didn’t have in my wardrobe at the time. All wins.

DID I MENTION THEY’RE THE STRETCHIEST THING I’VE EVER WORN??

Slim fit, size 32×30 on 5’10” / 155

The problem was, they didn’t have my size in-store. No worries, I thought, as I scanned the barcode with the Target app and ordered a pair in the right size (plus an additional size up, just because Target’s sizing is notoriously wonky). A few days later, 2 pairs arrive at my doorstep. But.. these are not the jeans I’m looking for. Instead, they’re a dark, inky blue, stiff denim. Not even close. The ones I ordered were paper-thin, super-light, and a medium color of blue. So, after a quick customer service chat, Target offered to re-send the right style, in both of the sizes that I ordered, promising they were right. Yay!

A few MORE days later, and one of the two pairs arrives. I open it up. Again, swing and a miss. A darkish shade, and in.. bootcut. WHAT? Ugh. At this point, I have zero hopes for the remaining pair still in transit, which was slated to arrive the following day. I had already told Joe I was looking forward to reviewing these jeans after I first experienced them in-store, but I tell him we should probably just bag the whole review if we can’t even get the right style after two straight orders. Well, that final Target package is on my porch the next afternoon, and I rip it open to reveal.. THE RIGHT JEANS!!

81% cotton, 19% poly. Light as a feather. Perfect for summer.

HOW? How is it possible to order one style of jeans, and get it wrong 3 out of 4 times? I’m not sure.

But what I hope is that it won’t deter you from trying to grab these. They’re great jeans. Target just seems bent on not letting you have them. Heck, they don’t even mention the word “lightweight” on the site at ALL, even though it’s clearly emblazoned on the hanger tag.

No mention online that these are specifically made to be lightweight. But they are.

They fit like a glove, and while the color looks VERY uniform when you’re holding them in your hands, when you actually put them on they look more like a true pair of jeans, and less like a pair of saturated “colored denim”. After a few weeks now of wearing these, I can confidently say they keep me much cooler than regular jeans, and the comfort level is just outstanding. Almost like a broken-in flannel shirt, and keeps getting softer with each wash, too.

Are they going to replace your dark inky denim? Well, technically, Target DID replace the dark inky denim they sent with these, so, I couldn’t resist mentioning that. 🙂 But overall, these aren’t gonna be a year-round pair. They’re just that lightweight. But that’s precisely what some of us are after, who are boiling along with me this summer.

If you take a shot at getting a pair for yourself, I wish you the best of luck. You may need it.

P.S.: Big thanks to reader Akiva F. for pointing out that Target is running a buy one get one 50% off jeans deal right now. So, if you’re in the market for jeans, and these appeal to you, there’s a potential deal there.